Swimming pool step construction with integral vinyl liner



Nov. 18, 1969 STERN ET AL 3,478,370

SWIMMING POOL STEP CONSTRUCTION WITH INTEGRAL VINYL LINER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 19, 1968 N) INVENTORS Robert Stem m5 iRosar/oAPurpur/ 7 ATTORNEYS Nov. 18, 1969 STERN ET AL 3,478,370

SWIMMING POOL STEP CONSTRUCTION WITH INTEGRAL VINYL LINER Filed Jan. 19', 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 5 H 5 m Mn W H r W 2 O "m 4 W b W I m A r m b s n 0 0 m RR Y O m M 3 M. 1 M 4 J r z* H m H I .1 O Q 6 M 1 Mi" -HH T. u l

United States Patent 3,478 370 SWIMMING POOL STEP CONSTRUCTION WITH INTEGRAL VINYL LINER Robert Stern, 130 Clayton Ave., and Rosario A. 118 Clayton Ave., both of Toms River, NJ.

Filed Jan. 19, 1968, Ser. No. 699,123

Int. Cl. E04h 3/16 U.S. Cl. 4-172 11 Claims Purpuri, 08753 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention pertains to a swimming pool step construction and more particularly to a swimming pool step construction adapted to be covered with an integral vinyl liner from the swimming pool.

Heretofore it has been the custom to provide plastic liners for swimming pools which were usually rectangular in plan view. In order to gain access to the pool, other than by means of a diving board, it is conventional to provide ladder-type steps which are strung alongside the pool at the incipiency of the deeper water. It is desirable to utilize a more conventional step construction, i.e. a staircase construction, at the shallow end of the pool to permit ingress to and egress from the pool. However, there has been no satisfactory manner to achieve this in plastic or vinyl-lined pools because of the difliculty in maintaining the integrity of the liner so as to prevent water seepage. It is not convenient because of lack of depth and undesirable because of cost to use ladder-type steps at the shallow end of the pool.

Accordingly, these difficulties and disadvantages have to a large measure been overcome in the practice of the present invention which permits a staircase type of step construction to be employed at or near the shallow end of the pool while still preserving the structural integrity of the vinyl liner. while the principles of the present invention may be applied to step constructions made from steel or wood, it is preferred to mold the steps from flexible glass fibers, such as Fiberglas.

Thus, in the preferred form of the invention a Fiberglas mold is prepared having a desired size and contour for the step construction. Each step is provided with a recess adjacent, and at the base of, its associated riser in order to receive a retaining clip into which is inserted, seriatim, an integral liner for the swimming pool. The clip is provided With means for retaining it within the recess.

The inherent advantages and improvements. of the present invention will become more readily apparent upon considering the following detailed description of the invention and by reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view illustrating the application of the invention in a typical pool construction;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view in side elevation taken along line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a Fiberglas mold made in accordance with a preferred form of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the mold illustrated in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view in side elevation taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

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FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view in side elevation drawn to an enlarged scale of a portion of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view in side elevation drawn to a further enlarged scale illustrating the attachment of a vinyl liner to a vinyl clip;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view, in cross section, of the clip illustrated in FIG. 7; and,

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary perspective view, in cross section, of the vinyl liner illustrated in FIG. 7.

The invention will now be described with respect to a typical vinyl-lined excavated or below ground swimming pool, but it is to be understood that the invention is equally applicable to vinyl lined above ground swimming pools. Furthermore, the embodiments and examples contained herein are considered to be for illustrative purposes only and not to be deemed limiting upon the application of this invention.

Referring now ot FIG. 1 of the drawings, there is depicted a swimming pool, indicated generally at 10, which 'has a shallow depth portion 12 and a deep depth portion 14. Interconnecting the shallow portion 12 and deep portion 14 is a sloping depth portion 16, whereas side sloping depth portions 18 and end sloping depth portion 20 extend from the ground level toward the deep portion 14. Adjacent the shallow depth portion 12 is illustrated a molded staircase, indicated generally at 22. As can be seen in FIG. 2, the staircase 22 comprises a plurality of treads 24 and risers 26.

It will be observed that the molded staircase 22 is substantially semicircular in plan view. At the opposite end of the pool, adjacent sloping surface 20 is an excavation, indicated generally at 28, which is the mirror image in plan view of molded staircase 22 except for the presence of the staircase itself. Therefore, a cut-out area 29 is produced adjacent the deep end of the pool. In this manner a lined swimming pool is produced with greater aesthetic appeal than a purely rectangular pool.

The entire bottom and side surfaces of the pool are covered by a vinyl liner 30 which also covers the treads 24 and risers 26 of the staircase 22 in a manner to be described hereinafter. The vinyl liner 30 overlies a sand bottom 31 which has been tamped and rolled.

Referring now to FIGS. 2-7, there is illustrated a central support 32 beneath the staircase 22 whose contour is such-as to provide vertical support for the treads 24 and risers 26 of the staircase 22. The. central support 32 may conveniently be made from foamed polystyrene, such as Styrofoam. A pair of horizontal bracing members 34 and 35 are attached to the central support 32 and are unitedthereto with Fiberglas in order to provide a substantial resilient coupling between the ends of the horizontal bracing members 34 and 35 at which point they are bolted to the central support 32. A vertical bracing member 36 is attached to the opposite ends of horizontal bracing members 34 and 35 and the entire bracing structure is covered in the earth adjacent the shallow end 12 0f the pool 10.

A handrail 37 is provided for use in connection with the staircase 22. The handrail 37 is anchored at one end in a well 38 in the molded staircase 22 as indicated in FIGS. 3 and 4. The other end of the handrail 37 is anchored in the earth. The end of the handrail 37 which is received in well 38 may be suitably supported by means of a plastic deck mount with a rubber gasket on top of the step and beneath the liner 30.

In FIGS. 3 and 4 there is illustrated a lead-in step 39 which is at the base of the swimming pool and is of the thickness of the Fiberglas material in the order of inch. The Fiberglas mold illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 is further shown to have a wall 40 which is notched at 41 in order to receive coping members, such as wooden coping members 43.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate a built-up section 42 which is located adjacent the base of an individual riser 26 and its joinder to an individual tread 24. The built-up section 42, which may be considered to be an extension or irregularity in tread 24, is provided with a recess indicated generally at 44. Into recess 44 is inserted, in locking relationship, a vinyl clip 46, details of which are illustrated in FIG. 8. Thus, the vinyl clip 46 is illustrated to have a first upstanding wall 48 and opposite upstanding wall 50 interconnected by base 52 so as to define a channel. Clip 46 has a leg construction 54 the end of which is provided with inwardly extending flange or protuberance 56 which serves to lock the clip in place within the recess 44. The upper extremity of upstanding wall 46 is similarly provided with an inwardly extending latching flange 58 which serves to receive the vinyl liner 30 in locking relationship. Furthermore, it will be observed that when the vinyl clip 46 is locked within recess 44, that the top of the inwardly extending latching flange 58 is substantially flush with an individual tread 24. This not only greatly facilitates rapid placement for the liner 30 atop each tread 24 but also results in a minimum of stress on liner 30.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, the vinyl liner 30 is provided with a vinyl locking member, indicated generally at 60, which comprises a vinyl plug 62 having an upstanding latching lip 64 which engages beneath the inwardly extending latching flanges 58 on wall 48 to hold the liner securely and maintain it attached within the recess 44. Each vinyl locking member 60 is welded to the vinyl liner 30 and produces a well head at 66 and 68 between which extends an intermediate portion 70 which is securely fused to the vinyl liner 30. Thus a series of attachments of the vinyl liner 30 is made to the staircase 22, namely, at each joinder of a tread 24 with riser 26.

As illustrated best in FIGS. 4 and 6, the riser 26 is not quite perpendicular to the tread 24. Thus, the riser indicated at 26 makes an included angle of 82 degrees with respect to the tread 24. Stated differently, the riser is approximately 8 /2 inches high and has a pitch equal to one inch. Therefore, there is provided greater depth to the tread 24 than would be provided by making the riser 26 at right angles thereto. This assures greater safety per tread in a staircase of given height.

The size of the staircase may be reduced or increased and the shape may be changed to meet the requirements of its environmental usage. The invention may be practiced with any type of side wall construction. Also, as has already been noted, the invention is applicable to above ground pools as well as excavated pools. It is significant that the liner is welded in one piece construction, is made to fit the staircase 22, and is attached to each of the treads thereof at the base of each riser. The wooden members, such as coping 43, are preferably made from wolmanized wood, i.e. they are pressure treated to withstand a marine environment. The welds and joints are made in the vinyl liner 30 by means of a heat welding process such as may be accomplished by use of a Thermatron welder produced by the Electronics Division of Wilcox and Gibbs of New York, N.Y.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A step construction for a lined swimming pool comprising:

(a) a step construction having a plurality of steps and risers;

(h) each step provided adjacent its associated riser with a recess,

(c) a clip received in said recess and adapted to re ceive an integral liner for said pool, and

(d) means to retain one of said clips in each of said recesses.

2. A step construction for a lined swimming pool as defined in claim 1 wherein said step construction is molded from flexible glass fibers.

3. A step construction for a lined swimming pool as defined in claim 1 including an integral plastic liner secured to each clip.

4. A step construction for a lined swimming pool as defined in claim 2 including an integral plastic liner secured to each clip.

5. A step construction for a lined swimming pool as defined in claim 1 wherein each of said clips is substantially Y-shaped in cross section.

6. A step construction for a lined swimming pool as defined in claim 5 wherein the leg of each of said Y- shaped clips is provided with a protuberance to facilitate its retention in one of said recesses.

7. A step construction for a lined swimming pool as defined in claim 2 wherein said molded step construction is substantially semicircular in plan view and includes means to brace the central portion thereof.

8. A step construction for a lined swimming pool as defined in claim 3 wherein each of said clips is substantially Y-shaped in cross section.

9. A step construction for a lined swimming pool as defined in claim 8 wherein the leg of each of said Y- shaped clips is provided with a protuberance to facilitate its retention in one of said recesses.

10. A step construction for a lined swimming pool as defined in claim 4 wherein each of said clips is substantially Y-shaped in cross section.

11. A step construction for a lined swimming pool as defined in claim 10 wherein the leg of each of said Y- shaped clips is provided with a protuberance to facilitate its retention in one of said recesses.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,051,753 1/1913 Olfe 52-188 1,676,317 7/1928 Bennett 52188 1,812,504 6/1931 Turco 52-188 3,015,191 1/1962 Lucchesi.

3,236,012 2/1966 Laven.

3,290,839 12/1966 Theisen 52-188 3,374,491 3/1968 Patin et a1. 4172 LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner HENRY K. ARTIS, Assistant Examiner s. c1. X.R. 52 1ss 

